Page 632 - Wordsmith A Guide to College Writing

Cross out prepositional phrases, underline each compound subject,
then double-underline the verb.

1 A bright-eyed Raggedy Ann doll and a tattered bear (adorns,

adorn) the bookshelf in Kim’s room.

2 Cold pizza and a moldy scrap of cheese (was, were) the only

food in Foster’s refrigerator.
3 A bowl of cold ice cream and a hot bath (awaits, await) Kim at

the end of the day.

4 Two plates of spaghetti with meatballs, two salads, a glass of

iced tea, and one cup of coffee (costs, cost) less than ten

dollars at the Coffee Cup Cafe.

5 A monster truck show and a trip to the drive-through window
of a fast-food restaurant (was, were) not Gayle’s idea of a good

time.

Compound Subjects Joined by or,

either/or, or neither/nor

When subjects are joined by or, either/or, or neither/nor, it is not
always possible to use logic to determine whether the verb will be

singular or plural. Therefore, one rule applies to all compound subjects

joined by or, either/or, or neither/nor.

When a compound subject is joined by or, either/or, or neither/nor, the
verb agrees with the part of the subject closer to it.